Slipper



March 20, 1928. 1,663,376

`.1. KoLLER SLIPP'ER Filed Feb.20. 1924 Patented Mar. 20, 1928.

UNITED STATES JOHN ROLLER, or JoHNs'roWN, NEW- YORK.

Smyrna.

Application filed February. ao, Y1924. serial `m. 694,090.

This invention relates to improvements in foot Wear, and more particularly to an improved construction of housepslipper or house boot having a liningv offleece, fur, or similar material. In the usual construction of a slipper employing a iieecelining Which is bulky in its nature, difficulty is experienced in forming seams, particularly the seams between the upper and the sole. At this location, and also other locations Where the usual construction includes overlapping parts, it is diflicult to avoid a ridge, to stitch the same neatly, to prevent the fleece from protruding, or to give a shapely and neat appearance to the finished article. These undesirable features are present in all prior articles of foot Wearr of this type, so far as Iam aware. Likewise, these difficulties have imposed limitations upon the Weight of the sole employed, so that in such articles of foot Wear it has beenfvcustomary to employ, for the soles, light pliable material, similar to or the same as that used in the upper, or in the case of' heavier soles, such leather as is used in ordinary shoes, and as a consequence kthe articles were generally unsatisfactory. Even where resort Was had `to the Well-known Goodyear Welt construction, satisfactory results could not be obtained.

In view of the foregoing, it `is .one of the primary Aobjects of the present invention to provide, in a slipper or house boot having' a fieece including -a fleecevinsole covering its entire interior, a novel arrangement of the upper and sole such that at the juncture of the upper with the sole, there Will be no appreciable ridge or 'protruding part to cause discomfort or annoyance. o,

Another object of the invention is to provide a slipper or house boothaving a fleece lining including a fleece insole, covering its .entire interior and having a relatively stiff sole attached by means of a Welt construction peculiarto the present invention, so

that the employment of a sole of any thiclrness from a veryflexible and thin sole to a stift1 and moderately heavy one, made, for example, preferably of light, flexible, ordinary sole leather, or similar suitable leather or material as Well asthe stiffer type of ordinary sole leather, is permissible and the slipper will possess an interior which Will feel smooth and comfortable to the foot. Incidentally, the invention contemplates so forming the slipper or boot that heels ofany7 usual height, from low spring heels to thehighertypes of heels, usually found on ladies boots, can be attached or employed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fleece lined slipper or house boot which Willbe neat, and shapely in appearance, which may be accurately formed to the proper sizes, and which may be shaped in pairs of righ-t and left to properly fit the feet. y

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure in which the upper may consist of either sheepskin alone With the fleece presented inwardly,vor may consist of a sheepskin lining with a covering of leather, cloth, or other material.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a fleece lined slipper having a relatively stiff sole which may or may not be provided With a heel and may or may not be provided with a covering over the sheepskin upper or lining, which Will t the` foot, and Which may be provided With 'a relatively7 stiff heel counter, and if desired, a stiffening in the toc part Ato yserve the purpose of a toe cap. Anotherk object of the invention is to evolve a novel method of preparing, constructing, arranging, and securing together the several component parts of the slipper or house boot, and particularly the Welt, the upper, and the insole, and Which method will obviate lasting and may be carried out With-y out the employment of special machinery and at an exceptionally low cost.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a perspective View of a slipper constructed in accordance with the present invention, the sole and upper being separated to Vbet-ter illustrate the arrangement of the component parts thereof, and a portion ofthe upper being broken Vaway and shown in section;

Figure 2 is a detail transverse sectional view;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the heel portion of a slipper constructed in accordance ywith the invention, a portion being broken away and another portionv being shown in section,` the view illustrating the manner in which ythe heel may be stiifened by the employment of a counter.

In the drawings, the upper as a whole is indicated in general by the numeral l, and the sole by the numeral 2. The upper Vcomprises ank outer ply of material, indicated by the numeral 3, which material may be leather, felt, cloth, or any other material found suitable for the purpose. This outer ply serves as a covering for a second or lining ply which is indicated by the numeral 4. rllhe inner or lining ply which is located inside of the outer ply, is of sheepskin bear-` ing fleece, or fur skin bearing fur, or of any other similar material or skin arranged with the fleece 5 presented inwardly. The skin 4 of the inner ply may be united to the inner surface of the outerply 3 by means of adhesive, or any other means may be employed for the purpose, and the said inner ply extends over the entire inner surface of the said ply 3, and the lower margins of the two plies 3 and 4 are arranged in exact registration with each other. At this ioint it may be stated that if foundy desirable, the outer ply 3 may be omit-ted, in which event the skin of the inner ply 4 would constitute the outer surface of the upper of the slipper, The inner ply which bears the fleece may consist of any number of pieces or blanks but in any event the pieces are cut to a definite shape and size and are so assembled as to produce the required shape and size, in the finished article. -Where the outer ply 3 is employed, it will preferably consist of a single piece, cut to a definite size and shape to fit more or less closely over `the inner ply, or it may be formed of a number of pieces, but in any event the inner ply will, by its contour, determine the shape and size of the` nished article.

The upper 1 further includes a welt strip 6 of leather or other suitable material of suitable size and thickness secured preferably by stitching to the lower margins or edges of the upper plies 3 and 4. The said lower margins or edges of the upper plies being arranged in registration with the inner edge of the said strip 6.

The top edge of the upper may be nished in any of several ways known in the art, such as by overturning the edge as shown in the drawings,'or by binding the edges. Like wise the style of slipper may vary from the higher patterns known as Romeo to the lower cut patterns and to the mules which latter type has only a toe and ball section and no heel section. Likewise the upper may be made to extend higher in the form of a boot.

The sole 2 comprises a lower ply 7 of rela-' the upper side of the bottom ply 7 of the sole. The sole further comprises a ply 9 which constitutes a lining ply and which is of sheepskin, the skin of the ply being indicated by the numeral 10, and the fleece by the numeral 11 and the said ply being adhesively or otherwise secured to the upper side of the ply 8, the plies 8 and 9 being cut to a definite pattern or contour and being arranged with their edges all in registration. The plies 8, 9 and 10 constitute an insole.

The plies 8 and 9 are cut somewhat smaller than the bottom ply 7v of the sole so that the marginal portion of the said bottom ply 7 projects beyond the edges of the plies 8 and 9, this marginal portion being indicated in the drawings by the numeral 12, and being preferably substantially of a width equal to the width of the welt strip 6 heretofore referred to. Due to this arrangement of the plies comprising the sole of the article, the upper may be assembled with the sole with the welt strip 6 resting fiat upon the marginal portion 12 of the bottom ply 7 of the sole and united by stitching or otherwise as indicated by the numeral 13, to the said marginal portion of the ply 7. As stated above, one or more of the plies 8 may be employed in building up the sole, and in any event the combined thickness of the plies 8 and 9 or, more specifically, the thickness of the ply or plies 8 and the thickness of the skin 1l) of the ply 9 will exactly equal the combined thickness of the plies 3 and 4 and the welt strip 6, or, in the event the ply 3 is not employed in building up the upper, the combined thicknesses of the ply or plies 8 land the skin 10 of the ply 9 will equal the combined thicknesses of the ply 4 and welt strip 6. Likewise in assembling the upper with the sole, the parts having been` cut to proper dimensions, the united edges or margins of the plies 3 and 4 and welt strip 6 will exactly abut against and equal in thickness the ply 8 and the skin 10 of the ply 9 as clearly illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings so that the fleece at the abutting edges of the upper and the insole will likewise exactly abut or meet as clearly shown in the said Figure 2, so that there can be no ridges or other projections which would be liable to cause discomfort to the wearer. In other words, it is as though the insole and the up per and welt strip' 6 were in one integral piece instead of being separately formed and assembled with each other. y The lower edges of the ply or plies comprising the upper are united to the inner margin of the welt strip, as previously stated, and preferably by a line of stitching indicated by the numeral 14, and in the course of manufacture it will probably be found that the outside edge of the welt strip 6 and the bottom ply 7 of the sole at its outer edge, will, at one or more points not exactly register with each other, since the exact fitting is made at theV inside edge .of the welt strip, asabovedescribed, and to remedy this, the welt strip `6 may be trimmed in the usual mannerso as to Vsuitably finish the article.

' As illustrated inFigure 3. ofthe drawings,

be stitched to the back of the outside of the ply l and will constitute a pocket to house the said counter 15.

In manufacturing slippers or house boots in accordance with the resent invention, the procedure is substantiallly as follows: The sheepskin which is to form the upper or the lining for the upper, as'the case may be,-and consisting of the skin and fleece having an aggregate thickness of one-fourth inch, more or less, is cut out by means of a die or'othei wise to accord with an exact pattern for the upper. The upper ymay be made up of any desired number of sections cut to proper marginal contour by dies or otherwise, andgit will be preferable, in ally probability, to, for example, cut two sections to be joined at the front and back toi constitute the upper, although more than two sections might be designed. The sections or, more specifically, their meeting edges, are unitedl preferably by an ordinary over-stitching maehine,; and after the upper has been thus far completed,

the counter is fastened by adhesive or other-V wise in the proper position onthe Vback or outer side of the skin of the sheepskin ply, and is shaped over a heel last.' The toe stifi'ening cap, if oneV is used, is attached in a similar manner to the outer side kof thefskin of the sheepskin ply, at the toe portion of the upper. If a covering blank designed to form a pocket as previously described, is employed, it is cut approximately to the required marginal contour by means of a die or otherwise and this may be madein only one section or in several sections as may be found desirable. Where the outer ply 3 Vof the upper is employed, the, sheepskin ply in its formed condition and treated, acted upon, or arranged in the manner just described; and constituting theincomplete upper, is arranged u pon a last of the proper size, and the said outer ply, or, more specifically, the material or blank constituting the same, is pulled over it to present a smooth surface and at the same time is secured or united thereto by adhesive. Ordinary, or specially constructed lasts and shaping devices for the heel and toe may be employed in thus Shap"- ing the upper. It isl to be understood at this pointthat a last is employed in this step merely as a medium`v to effect or produce usual manner.

a smooth arrangement of the covering or outer ply and is not employed to determine the shape or size of the slipper. The next step consists in trimming the edge of the covering ply 3 so that the edge when trimmed will exactly register with the sheepskin ply, itv being understood that the edge of the sheepskin ply is not in any way trimmed or otherwise( acted upon inasmuch as it was initially cut to the precisev pattern in a previously described step ofthe method. The welt strip is next Ysewed at its inner edgeto the lower edge of the upper as an entirety, the stitches passing through both plies of the upper as well. as through the said inner` edge portion of the welt strip, and while this strip must have proper wedging qualities, such as flexability, pliability, strength, and a certain degree of thickness, this operation may be performed upon an ordinary machine.

The invention is now concerned with the steps necessary to build up the sole and the first step consists in cutting, nearly to the exact pattern, the main ply 7 of the sole, from relatively stili material such as flexible sole leather. Next, the several plies 8 and 9 comprising the insole, are cut accurately to a definite pattern, determined by t-he size of slipper desired, and the plies are arranged one above another with the fleece bearing side of the ply 9 uppermost, and united by adhesive or otherwise. The built up` insole is then placed upon and united by adhesive oriotherwise to the main ply at the upper side thereof, the insole being so arranged that its margin will be spaced inwardly from the marginof the ply 7 a uniform distance throughout the entire extent thereof. In assembling the upper and sole, the sole is laid flat and the welt strip 6 is laid in a like manner uponV the upper side of the projecting marginal portion 12 of the ply 11 of the sole and in such manner that the edges of the upper will closely Contact and abut the edge of the insole, as a whole. This feature of exactly abutting the edges of the insole and the upper is important in determining the shape and size of the slipper. The weltstrip is next temporarily fastened in position and then stitched to the ply l7 of the` sole by an ordinary machine or onel of simple type, and thc edges of the sole and the welt are then trimmed evenly and suitably dressed or finished.

The next step of thc invention consists in providing,- the slipper with a heel counter-v disposedimmediately `over the rear portion 1G of the'solel 2 and which is secured to thek portion'l of the sole of the slipper in the In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the upper portion of the upper is overturned as indicated by the numeral 17 so as to expose the fleece of the ply e about the foot open- Bil This completes the formation of the article.

. if found necessary, which will be probable,

a last may be inserted into the slipper so as to permit of smoothing out of any wrinkles which may be present therein but this last is not employed for the purpose of shaping the slipper or determining the size thereof.

n addition to the counterl 15, the upper may be provided at its toe portion with a toe cap indicated by the numeral 19 as clearly shown in Figure 1 or' the drawings. p Having thus Adescribed the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An improved article of foot wear in the form of a slipper or house boot comprising an upper embodying an outer ply, and an inner lining ply of sheepskin, a welt strip extending about the lower margin of the said upper,'the plies of the upper being united to each other at their margins' and likewise to the said welt strip, a sole to which the welt strip is secured, and an insole comprising a ply of material secured to the upper side of the lirst mentioned sole, and a ply of sheepskin secured at its skin side to the last mentioned ply at the upper side thereof, the margins of the said insole plies being in registration with'each other, the said inargins of the insole as a whole abutting the margins of the upper and welt strip, and the said insole being of a thickness equal to the thickness of the plies of the upper and the said welt strip whereby the marginal portion of the upper will be flush with and abut the marginal portion of the insole and whereby to avoid ridges or projections at the juncture of the upper and insole.

2. An improved article of foot wear in the form of a slipper or house boot comprising an upper embodying an outer ply and ai lining ply, the latter being of sheepskin and having its skin side united to the inner side of the outer ply and its fleece side presented inwardly, a relatively stiif sole, a welt strip united to the margins of the said plies of the upper and to the said sole, an insole of sheepskin having its skin side secured to the upper side of the iirst mentioned sole and its fleece side presented upwardly, and a heel counter at the heel part of the upper and arranged between the said plies oi the upper.

An improved article of' foot wear in the form of a slipper or house boot compris ing an upper embodying an outer ply and a lining ply, the latter being of sheepskin and having its skin side united to the inner side of the outer ply and its ieece side presented inwardly, a relatively stiil` sole, a welt strip united to the margins of the said plies of the upper and to the said sole, an insole comprising a plurality of plies, one of said plies being formed of sheepskin having its Lecasve skin side secured to the upper side of the other said plies and its fleece side presented upwardly, a heel counter at the heel part of the upper and arranged between the said plies of the upper, the rear end of the insole constituting a heel litt secured to the upper side of the sole.

4. An improved article of foot wear in the form of a slipper or house boot comprising van upper embodying an outer ply and an inner ply both eut to an exact pattern in accordance with the size and shape of the article to be' produced, the inner ply of the upper' being of sheepskin and having its skin side united to the inner side oi' the outer ply and its fleece side presented inwardly, the margins of the two plies being in registration, a relatively stiff sole to which the said margins are united by a welt strip secured to the said sole, the inner margin oi' the welt strip being in registration with the said margins of the said plies, an insole comprising a plurality of mutually united plies disposed upon and secured to the upper surface of the sole, the combined thickness of the plies of the insole equaling the coinbined thickness of the plies of the upper and the welt strip whereby the insole will be Hush with the margin oi' the upper, the said margin of the upper and the margin of the insole abutting, the upper ply of the insole bearing fleece matching with the fleece of the inner ply of the upper, the rear portion ot the sole constituting a heel portion, a toe cap assembled with the toe portion oi the upper, and a counter assembled with thc heel portion of the sole.

5. An article of oot wear comprising an upper, a sole, a welt strip secured to the lower margin of the upper and united to the sole, a lining for the upper, the said lower margin of the upper, the lower margin of the lining, and the inner edge of the welt strip all being in registration, and a built up insole secured upon the main sole and comprising a lining ply and a ply to give thickness arranged in marginal registration and marginally abutting and flush with said lower margin of the upper.

6. An article of foot wear comprising an upper, a lining of fleece therefor, a welt strip,a sole, the margins of the upper and the lining and the welt strip being united to the sole and in registration, and a fleece lined insole comprising aileece ply and plies of fabric for thickness, the said insole assemblage being secured to the said sole with the plies comprising the assemblage in marginal registration and marginally meeting and flush with the margins of the said upper, its lining, and the welt strip, the combined thickness of the insoleV assemblage of plies and that of the upper, its lining and the welt strip, being equal whereby the inner surface of the article at the juncture of the upper and sole will be free from ridges and ing a ply of fleece bearing skin, the margins projections. of the plies abutting, respectively, the lower 10 7. An article of foot Wear comprising an margins of the lining and upper, the comupper, a fleece bearing lining therefor, a sole7 bined thickness of said plies being'such that the margins of the upper and lining being said ply of fleece bearing skin lies in a plane rality of mutually united plies, and inoludo secured to the sole and in registration with with the lower margin ofthe upper. each other, an insole consisting of a. plu- In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

JOHN KOLLER. [11. e] 

